Smart Home

A smart home or connected home is a group of devices and appliances you connect to your Wi-Fi network and control from your phone, your voice or an app. Every room can have it, and you can start with one gadget and build from there.

Here’s what counts as smart home tech at JB.

• Home security cameras and alarms that let you keep tabs on the place
• Smart door locks that open with your phone or a code, no keys needed
• Pet tech that feeds the dog on a timer and lets you check in from work
• Smart speakers that answer questions and run the rest of your gear
• Smart lighting that dims, changes colour and runs on a schedule
• Smart kitchen and laundry appliances that ping your phone when a cycle wraps
• Smart living room tech and smart TVs that take voice commands
• Robotic vacuum cleaners that do the floors while you’re at work

Smart home devices connect to your Wi-Fi, then talk to an app on your smartphone or a voice assistant. That lets you control them from the couch, the office or the other side of the country. Tap, ask or set a schedule, and the device gets on with it.

Most devices run on one platform. Pick yours before you buy, because that choice shapes everything you add later.

Match the ecosystem to the devices you already own. Google Home suits Android, Apple Home suits iPhone, while Amazon Alexa plays nicely with both. Samsung SmartThings is the pick if your TV and appliances are already Samsung.

JB sorts the range by platform, so you can shop what works with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit or Samsung SmartThings.

To set up a smart home, download the app, connect the device to your Wi-Fi and tell it which room it lives in, and you’re done. Add gear piece by piece as things need replacing, or go straight to full smart home automation.

A smart home hub pulls the lot together. Here’s what a hub does.

• Runs your devices by voice through a built-in assistant
• Groups gear into routines, so one command handles four jobs at once
• Doubles as a speaker for music, podcasts and radio
• Shows camera feeds, timers and video on models with a screen
• Handles voice searches and reads back the answer

The best smart home devices are the ones that fix something annoying in your day. A smart speaker or smart display is the usual first buy, and then that ends up running everything else. After that, shop by the job you want done.

Here's what you can set up:

• Feed the dog and check in on them from the office
• See who’s at the front door before you open it
• Sync your lights to your music, or drop them low for movie night
• Have your music follow you from room to room
• Change the channel with your voice
• Get your calendar, the weather and the traffic read out at breakfast
• Get a buzz on your phone the second the washing finishes

JB puts the whole smart home category in one spot at prices we back. We’ve been kitting out Aussie homes with big-brand tech since 1974. You’ll find us in 205+ locations across the country, plus the full range online.

Here’s what you get shopping with JB:

• Every ecosystem under one roof. Big names like Google, Amazon, Apple, Arlo and Eufy sit side by side, so you can compare them before you commit instead of trawling three different sites.
• A team that actually knows the gear. JB’s team works around tech all day. Ask them which hub suits your phone, and you’ll get a straight answer.
• Shop online or grab it today. Order online for delivery nationwide, or choose Click and Collect and pick up your order from your nearest JB.

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